We usually make the gate with about 15 seconds to spare... we're good about things like that

However, once at Lower Sabie... We've just bought a new map book (we're fairly heavy on the map books, and the previous one disintegrated on the last trip), and this new map book had the expanded map with the transfrontier park roads and gate times etc. in addition to the more strict KNP gate times. Of course we looked at the wrong set of gate times! So after spending a nice 20 minutes or so at Sunset dam, with little happening, it was steadily getting darker, and we decided to go to the low water bridge before returning the camp (with plenty of time to spare, or so we thought). Coming around the corner from sunset time, we spied this okie in uniform standing in the middle of the road in front of the camp gate, looking rather cross. We were on our way past at a steady 20 km/hr when he waved us down and asked where we were going. He was not impressed with our answer. Said it is already 5 minutes past gates closing time! I was wondering why we we're suddenly allowed outside after dark , but as it was the first time visiting during October, I put it down to the time of year . It only the next day that we found out that there was two sets of gate times in the new map book, and that on the Mozambican side, one can stay out half-an-hour later than in KNP proper at that time of year

The closest shave we had, was when we misjudged how long the Mahonie Loop would take to drive!!!We could see that the gate was closing, as we drove up the road, and we were ready to accept a fine, but low and behold, the gate opened again, and a smiling guard let us through!!!!

It was our last full day in the park so we took our last drive in the late afternoon, we somehow got carried away saying "goodbye" to all our favourite places, we made it back to Tamboti as the "gate keeper" was closing the gates, we told him it was our last day and he said he understood

August 2010 and it is our first proper trip to the Kruger in 3 years. Our first night was booked at Olifants.We entered through Orpen gate and stopped for a quick comfort break at Satara as our little one was 11 months old. As we exited Satara SO suggests we go up the S100, her favourite road and take the S41 and S90 all the way up to Olifants. We had about 4 hours so I was sceptical that it is enough time but eventually she convinced me.Nice sightings up the S100 and just as we approached the S41 junction a huge elephant bull is standing in the middle of the road, not moving. We were to far in to turn around so we had to wait and wait and wait.After nearly half an hour he moved.Now we were in trouble to make the gate in time and went up the S41 and S90 between 35 and 40 km/h and did not look for animals because we could not bear missing a sight, so pretended there was no animals on the road.As we passed the Balule turnoff a pack of wild dogs come running down the road. A first for SO in KNP and my first sighting since 1998. We made up some time so we enjoyed the moment for a while.We entered the camp at 17:59.

Many, Many years ago, somewhere in the 80s we had a reverse late gate story.

This was at Lower Sabie with the camp gate only opening half way through the morning, as to the thrill of us kids, a pride of lions deciced that the gate posts made comfortable pillows. If I can recall the pile-up of cars trying to get into camp finally got them up and going.